Fraters Libertas

Defending His Life

Last month the United States Secret Service and its agents came under fire from, among others, Michelle Malkin, who referred to them as buffoons for their handling of cartoonist Michael Ramirez. This cartoon by Ramirez was interpreted by the Secret Service as a threat against the President and agents were dispatched to interview Ramirez on the matter.




Common sense would seem to indicate that Ramirez, actually a rather conservative voice in the world of political cartoonists, posed no danger to the President and the Secret Service was wasting precious resources investigating him.

One of my oldest and dearest friends happens to be an agent of the Secret Service and he currently serves on the personal protection detail for President Bush. In the past he has protected Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, Dick Cheney, and the Bush girls among many others. Recently he was in Minneapolis for a rare vacation and I had a chance to catch up with him on a variety of subjects including his very interesting job. And although the Secret Service is hardly above criticism I think that the agency, and especially its agents, has recently taken far more abuse than they rightly deserve.

First the Ramirez case. To the average person it appears ridiculous to have SS agents investigating a well-known political cartoonist. But it follows what has been the standard operating procedure for the agency. They make no assumptions and allow no exceptions. The policy on threats against the POTUS is actually quit simple. Take them all seriously and check them all out.

My friend has conducted numerous interviews over the years with people guilty of nothing more than having a few two many beers on a Friday night in a tavern and uttering a drunken threat against the President. Or sending an e-mail to the White House that included threatening language. If they receive a report of a threat they investigate it. Always. It doesn't matter who you are or how well known you are as a local politician in a Western state found out a few years ago.

They take the maxim CYA to the extreme. In the aftermath of an assassination attempt the last thing the Secret Service wants to hear is, "You should have checked this guy out before" or "Why didn't you follow up on the information you received on this guy?". It may seem over the top at times but that's the way they operate.

They also do not make assumptions. They treat everyone as a potential threat. This includes military personnel (the grenade attack in the 101st in Kuwait is a good example of what could happen), police officers, workers from other government agencies, and even their fellow Secret Service agents. We watch each other is the way my friend described it.

Another important thing to remember is that the Secret Service has now been rolled up into that black hole of bureaucracy known as the Department of Homeland Security. My friend charitably describes the DOHS as "a frickin' joke". You don’t even want to know what he thinks about Tom Ridge. In the past the Secret Service reported through the Department of Treasury and was accorded a measure of respect and independence. Now it's merely another cog in the immense DOHS gear. They're very low on the priority list for the DOHS in both budgetary and political matters.

And even worse as far as the agents are concerned is the way they are treated by the very people they may someday give their lives to protect. They have to deal with snotty political staffers more concerned with appearances than security. Again as my friend describes it, Secret Service agents are at the bottom of the totem pole at the White House just below the janitors. Most of the agents who work at the White House are not allowed to park on the White House grounds. Instead they are expected to find a legal parking spot in the vicinity and walk to work. Which is not a pleasant experience when it's a sweltering day in DC and you've got to hoof it for six blocks in a dark suit carrying a duffel bag with all your gear (no lockers for the agents in the White House either). And if they happen to park in the wrong spot the park police will nail them with a parking ticket despite the fact that their vehicles are clearly identified as belonging to a government agent. My friend has piled up over $200 in tickets himself over the last six months in DC and knows of other agents who have more than $1000 in fines. The tickets are an out of pocket expense for the agents who aren't exactly hauling down big money to begin with.

The Secret Service, like any government agency, is far from perfect and obviously improvements can and should be made. But its agents are, for the most part, dedicated, hardworking folks with a thankless job. If they do everything right no one notices. If they make a mistake everyone knows about it. They are under staffed, under funded, and under appreciated. Instead of giving 'em grief, for once let's give 'em a break. They deserve nothing less.